196 FOOD & DRINK BEST CAUSE FOR DINING EXCITEMENT MICHELIN GUIDE IS HERE On a hot Las Vegas evening at the end of August, the Michelin Guide debuted its guide to the Southwest. The international restaurant rating juggernaut finally includes restaurants in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. At the ceremony, just five restau- rants from those four states earned a coveted Michelin Star. None was from Arizona. But our homegrown restaurants still had a strong showing. A dozen Arizona eateries were named as selected restaurants, a commenda- tion that has them on the radars of Michelin inspectors for future years. Seven more Arizona restaurants earned a Bib Gourmand distinction for stellar restaurants with affordable prices. Three individual Arizo- nans also earned citations, with FnB’s Chef Charleen Badman bringing home the Mindful Voices award, John Germain earning Michelin recognition for his work as a sommelier at Scottsdale’s Reserve, and Bacanora and Huarachis chef and owner Rene Andrade earning Michelin’s Young Chef Award. The guide clearly knows Arizona. A star may be on the horizon. i i i BEST FOODIE EVENT FOR A CAUSE BAKE N TAKE Valley food lovers are relentless. They will gas up the Tahoe and embark pre-dawn just to wait in line for a pain au chocolat. Stoop Kid pastry chef Audrey D’Amore said enough and tapped fellow bakers for an occasional Valleywide bake sale. Even better? She and those chefs donate the money from the event to local charities like United Food Bank and one·n·ten. Before each event, customers reserve a pastry box that they’ll fill with a dozen treats. At its simplest, Bake N Take is a great deal on unique bakes you won’t often find anywhere else. The pastry-obsessed will be gagged by the talented lineup, which has included Crystal Culp (née Kass), Tracy Dempsey, Aaron Davis, Antonia Kane and Mark Chacón. Bake N Take took a summer break, but we can’t wait to again reserve our pink pastry box and walk the tables set up in Stoop Kid’s warehouse to see what treats these bakers have concocted. i i i BEST COLLABORATION WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OLIVE FARMER 4418 E. OSBORN ROAD THEOLIVEFARMERAZ.COM Chefs are known to wax poetic about the farmers, ranchers and purveyors whose toil allows kitchens to feed people. When chef and restaurateur Bernie Kantak and his fellow hospitality vet and business partner Andrew Fritz took that appreciation a step further, announcing that they would team up with Queen Creek Olive Mill owner Perry Rea on a new all-day eatery and shop, we were intrigued. The restaurant duo helm the hospitality group behind the notable Valley eateries Citizen Public House, The Gladly, Beginner’s Luck and Minnow. Meanwhile, Queen Creek Olive Mill crafts artisan olive oils, vinegars and other products — and boasts three restaurants. Together, they’re transforming the massive Arcadia space formerly home to the modern Mexican restaurant Santo and its sibling speakeasy, Pecado. The team has a lot planned under one roof: a casual deli by day, a full-service restaurant at night, a hidden sister bar, a dual coffee and gelato bar and a market. We won’t see the fruits of this partnership until later this year, but we’re already hungry to try The Olive Farmer. i i i BEST RESTAURANT LOM WONG 218 E. PORTLAND ST. 602-675-0522 LOMWONGAZ.COM Downtown Phoenix eatery Lom Wong is a Thai restaurant. But this spot transcends category, and takes its rightful place as our best restaurant across the board for 2026. The restaurant celebrates the regional cuisines of Thailand, the home country of its exceptional chef and co-owner Yotaka “Sunny” Martin. She and her husband, Alex, are dedicated students of the cuisine and culture of the communities where they have lived and worked, and the menu displays that dedication. Different sections offer recipes from regions such as the rural farming village of Baan Sanmaket in Chiang Rai and the Moklen fishing village of Baan Taptawan. Martin’s cooking earned her a James Beard Award in 2025. In the South- west’s first Michelin Guide, Lom Wong was named a Bib Gourmand. The Yam Mamuang Boran, a bright and tangy salad made with fine shreds of green mango, shrimp, toasted coconut and peanuts, is a staple, as is the Ba Buey Khlak Ti, with its cubes of crispy pork belly jutting out like islands in a sea of curry drizzled with coconut cream. For anyone enthusiastic about food in Phoenix, dining at Lom Wong is an essential experience. i i i BEST NEW RESTAURANT MAEVA 50 W. VAUGHN AVE., #107, GILBERT 602-737-3302 MEETATMAEVA.COM Maeva’s website invites visitors to “escape the average.” This new downtown Gilbert spot does exactly that. Located in the heart of the suburb’s Heritage District, Maeva opened in the fall and raised the bar for dining in the restaurant-filled area. During breakfast and brunch service, expert baristas churn out seasonal lattes perfect for pairing with a delicate house-made croissant or carefully assembled toast. At lunchtime, Maeva offers salads, sandwiches and the occasional pasta before transitioning to a fine-dining dinner experience unlike anything else in Gilbert, and leagues above what you’d find in most of the Valley. If time and budget allow, opt for the tasting menu. For $90 you get a multicourse meal that cele- brates seasonal ingredients and traditional French technique. The entire menu rotates, but expect offerings such as a beef tongue pastrami crisp with charred onion slaw, hamachi crudo with black garlic aioli and compressed cucumbers, or a coffee-rubbed pork collar with nectarine and charred romano salad. Seasonal cocktails and an extensive wine selection are at the ready, with the sommelier and beverage director ready to pair standout sips with every course. i i i BEST CHEF CHARLEEN BADMAN FNB 7125 E. FIFTH AVE., #31, SCOTTSDALE 480-284-4777 FNBRESTAURANT.COM Charleen Badman works the line most nights at FnB, her impressive Old Town Scottsdale restaurant. When service is over, the chef sits down and reviews her performance like an elite athlete, considering what went well, what didn’t and how to improve the next day. For the past 17 years, Badman’s game at FnB has displayed the bounty of Arizona’s farms and ranches through globally inspired, vege- table-forward plates. When she’s not in the kitchen or tirelessly sourcing ingredients, she’s showing schoolkids how to garden and cook through her nonprofit, Blue Water- melon Project. Her dedication (and her impressive crew) got the James Beard Award-winning chef a nod as a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef by the Beard Awards in 2026. FnB also became one of seven Arizona restaurants to earn a Bib Gourmand rating in the Southwest region’s inaugural Michelin Guide. Michelin also recognized Badman with its Mindful Voices honor, applauding her work in the kitchen and beyond. i i i BEST RESTAURANT TO TAKE A FOODIE COURSE 7366 E. SHEA BLVD., #106, SCOTTSDALE 480-687-0491 COURSERESTAURANTAZ.COM Take someone to Course who’s going to appreciate it. Dinner at this Scottsdale eatery isn’t for small talk. It includes spending a couple of hours marveling at exquisite, small bites of expertly and intentionally crafted food. It requires the conversation to pause as you listen to your server’s explanation of each ingredient and presentation, and inspires a quiet moment as you try each morsel. The menu options are five courses for $135 or eight for $175 per person. And they demand your attention. Chef Cory Oppold puts a creative spin on ingredients,